


In The City Garden

by MatrixCube, MintyCoolness



Category: Persona 4, Persona 5
Genre: Bad Puns, Canon-Typical Violence, Light Bondage, M/M, Pre-Slash, Wildcardshipping, Wildcardshipping Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-06-01 03:06:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6498307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MatrixCube/pseuds/MatrixCube, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MintyCoolness/pseuds/MintyCoolness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Written as a collab between myself and MatrixCube for Wildcardshipping Week. Based on the 'Shadow(s)' prompt for Day 4.)</p>
<p>Someone has fallen into the Palace, and the Phantom Thieves figure they might as well go rescue the guy. Turns out this rescue works out a little differently that their usual night time raids...</p>
            </blockquote>





	In The City Garden

**Author's Note:**

> Special Thanks to Faerore for proof-reading this fic for me! 
> 
> This is a written piece done between me and MatrixCube. They're a joy to work with, and I enjoyed working with them on this piece! Here's to hoping we get more of these up here! XD
> 
> Now, enough of that, read on and enjoy the fic!

It was almost cliché, the way that day started. Kaitou, and his band of merry Thieves were lounging about in Sumikon, just generally taking a break from their nightly raids, and just being normal teenagers hanging out at a coffee shop. Even if they did have a cat sitting on the table.

With the ringing of his phone's message tone, Kaitou stopped what he was talking about long enough to whip it out of his pocket and check the notifications to see the tell-tale sign of the Iske-Navi, the app that kept them supernaturally in the know about the Palace. The words 'Someone has fallen into Palace' were drifting across the screen when black and red eyed icon appeared, and clicking the app just confirmed the news.

Kaitou looked at the news with a grimace, and saw that his fellow thieves had equally unpleased looks when they saw they news for themselves. That notification had ruined the previous good mood they had going, and Ryuji was the first one to speak up about it.

"Shit?! Another one?!"

"Seems like it - but," Ann snorted, "you're already psyched to go all out again, right?"

Ryuji grinned back. "Hell yeah!"

Even though they were fighting almost everyday, Kaitou understood. The thrill of battling supernatural creatures always gave him such a high, that it scared him a little.

"So, we're going tonight?" he asked, staring at the message on his phone again.

"Of course!" Morgana quipped, "There is no time to waste!"

"Looks like the Palace appeared at a local park," said Yusuke as he eyed the blinking symbol on his phone's map. "If normal humans could see the Palace, I would be almost worried..."

"That just makes it a challenge!" said Kaitou with a grin that had Ann rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "We'll split up for now, and then we'll meet at the location. Everyone familiar with where it is?"

And Kaitou's grin drew wider when everyone nodded.

"Well then...let's do this!"

\----------

The Park in question was nothing special. Just your average nature spot, complete with neatly cared for grass, and sakura trees. The only thing notable about it, was the fact that, among the locals, it was known for having a population of stray cats that gave the groundskeepers no end of a headache. 

That didn't really matter much to Kaitou and the others, who stood in the shade of a grove of trees, out of the public eye, as the light faded into night, and the last trickle of park-goers left...

There was no specific time as far as the Phantom Thieves could recall, but the Palace always appeared after sundown. It was always a bit surprising - in the blink of an eye, the open space of the park was occupied by a large, sturdy building.

Kaitou re-adjusted his mask and nodded to his fellow thieves who stared ahead with a determined expression.

But just as they climbed the stairs up to the main gate, Kaitou slowed down.

"Someone's there!" Morgana hissed, crouching into a battle stance.

There was indeed someone there - next to the entrance; a person slouching against the stone pillar, posture relaxed, but their gaze fixated on the group.

Kaitou narrowed his eyes in suspicion. What was a guy doing here? The Palace had just appeared-- Was he expecting them?

The guy looked completely at ease where he stood, like standing in the entrance-way of a ancient stone building that practically grew out of the ground was perfectly normal.

"I don't think I ever met you before...."

The voice was distorted and unnerving to listen to. Everyone's hackles rose when the guy came down the steps towards them. The thieves readied their guard, although it did grant them a closer look.

He wore the uniform of an unfamiliar school, although it was probably still in their city, considering. He wore it loosely, blazer open and top button undone. By far, the guy's most noticeable features were his silver hair, in a bowl cut of all things, and the golden eyes, set with an almost manic gleam.

That only meant one thing...

"If it's one thing I'm good at, it's first meetings. Had a lot of them. So why don't you tell me your names?"

This person-- Shadow, most likely, had an almost preternatural charisma that had them almost compiling. It was almost difficult not to tell the creature what it wanted to know.

"We're here to rescue the person who fell in," Ann said, almost shaking her head. "That's all you need to know for now."

The Shadow raised an eyebrow, adding to his self-assured attitude. "'Fell in'? ...I haven't seen anyone." He pushed himself off the wall, ready to go. "You're wasting your time."

Kaitou stared after him disappearing into the Palace. What's with that guy? But more importantly-- "Did we just encounter a Shadow that talked to us?" he asked.

"It certainly is unusual..." Morgana said. "Not even our Personas can talk, and they roughly have humanoid features."

"He looked like an average guy to me - besides the creepy eyes and stiffling aura," Yusuke said calmly. "We should be careful. We'll probably meet him again."

Kaitou nodded, and as one, they headed into the building - where the environment was home to a lush and diverse garden.

It was a enormously beautiful sight, and it struck the Thieves with awe for a few seconds. It seemed that most species of plants and flowers were on display here in the ruins. Even ones that needed different seasons, and even locales to actually grow. 

And Kaitou was no expert, but he kinda suspected that being able to grow a Palm tree and an Oak tree side-by-side was impossible...unless you were the Ultimate Botanist or something.

"Wow..." exclaimed Ann, almost breathlessly, examining the hibiscus flowers that bloomed near some bull reeds. "It's gorgeous in here!"

Kaitou was about to reply, when he felt something snake around his ankles. He quickly looked down to see that vines were trying to wrap themselves around him of their own volition.

He quickly pulled his gun and fired - he could hear Ryuji's pissed off groan behind him.

"Really, now? Plant Shadows?"

Ann suppressed a shriek. "Ew, they move on their own! Are those really Shadows?"

It didn't seem that way. There were just small vines, like from a plant, wriggling about. No attack pattern or even useage of skills.

"We can easily dodge them, just don't stop walking," Yusuke said, looking at the ceiling. "They appear to be on the ground only."

Ann made a face. "Thank god... Because there are horror scenarios in my head... Stupid tentacle hentai, anyone?"

Sometimes Ann's humor was so crude that it even left Ryuji speechless.

So everyone kept a constant state of movement, lest the vines catch them again. It was pretty difficult, seeing as not only did the have to deal with plant life that had the efficiency of marines, but also the various Shadows that inhabited the Garden.

Eventually, they found a room that was completely made of stone, with little to no plant life. Grateful for the reprieve, the Thieves took a chance for a breather.

"Stupid freaking plants..." grumbled Ryuji, plucking out the thorns that got stuck in his arm after a Rose Shadow had gotten a lucky hit in.

"These vines seem awfully determined to hold us down..." commented Yusuke, who, earlier, should have been taken away by the vines, were it not for a timely Agi spell from Ann.

"It's very strange," replied Morgana. "It like the vines have an agenda of their own..."

"Plants can have agendas?" was Ann's laconic question.

"It feels that way? I mean, I..."

But Morgana trailed off, ears twitching and head turning in the direction of the exit of the stone room...

"You guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Kaitou.

"Shhh! Listen..."

And listen he did. It was faint, but Kaitou could almost hear the sound of a blade chopping wood.

There was an enraged yell and that chopping sound again.

"Is it the guy from before?" Morgana asked, but got no answer, because Kaitou ran past her, into the next room.

The wooden doors squeaked in their hinges as they opened, making way for a thief with his gun in hand.

A flurry of motion made Kaitou halt for a second - there were so many vines, on the ground (chopped) and still moving around, crawling along the walls towrds the center of the room where someone stood.

"What--"

A yell cut off his question. "Yoshitsune!"

Bright light illuminated the vines and engulfed the person in the middle of the room - it was so familiar, Kaitou thought, and then he saw it: Another Persona, one he's never seen before, but the power it radiated was immense.

The Persona cut down even more vines with their sword, vanishing into glittering pieces. Its master looked beat, chest heaving, sweat rolling down his temple.

It was the same guy, Kaitou was damn sure of it. Even with its back turned, it still looked like that Shadow that brushed them off at the entrance. But something about this guy was...different? Kaitou definitely saw that it could summon a freaking Persona, but there was something just less...unnerving about this guy now.

But that's when Kaitou noticed something, even as the Thieves managed to catch up to him. The vines were insistant in trying to hold the Thieves down, but they seemed to target this guy with even more veracity.

"Surt!"

The guy crushed something in his hand, and dark, technicolor being emerged from him with a flaming sword, and produced a wave of fire that decimated the rest the vines. This stupid Shadow could summon multiple Personae, because of course he could!

The guy turned around, and stopped in his tracks when he saw the Thieves before him. Acting on instinct, Kaitou levelled his pistol on him, and he placed his hands up, eyes on the gun.

"Whoa, take it easy..."

This guy looked like that Shadow, even acted like that Shadow...but he had no golden eyes.

"What in the world...?" Ryuji said, but Ann slapped the back of his head. "Ow!"

Kaitou ignored them, his gaze steady on the Shadow before him. "What's your name?" Now that he had him at gunpoint, he had to answer.

"Souji... Seta."

Kaitou evaluated this Seta guy for another moment. He didn't seem too alarmed to be held at gunpoint, and didn't even ask any questions like any innocent person they have rescued so far. Something's up.

"What's the deal with these vines?" Kaitou asked, voice cold.

"I'm not sure," answered Souji, voice just a wary as Kaitou's. "I just woke up here a few hours ago...I think? They're easy enough to get rid off, but they just keep coming..."

"You seem awfully calm," Yusuke pointed out, arms crossed. "You're in a clearly supernatural place, and you act like it's old news."

Souji laughed, although it sounded a little weary and sardonic to the Thieves' ears.

"Yeah, you could say I have experience."

This Souji sounded a little less smooth that the Souji that was standing in front of them right now. He still had that charisma, but it seemed a lot more natural.

Souji eyed the gun once again, and sighed. "Look, could you put the gun down? I had enough of that a long time ago..."

But Kaitou didn't budge an inch. "I still don't trust you." 'Because we just saw you, or another version of you, and I really have a bad feeling about this' is something he doesn't say.

"Well, I get that--"

"Watch out!" Ann cried, but it was too late - Kaitou didn't turn around fast enough, not seeing the vines that crept up to him, sneaking around his ankles and legs and squeezed hard.

Before he could pull the trigger, the guy in front of him summoned another Persona. "Uriel!"

Flames engulfed Kaitou. They weren't hot nor harming him, but he squeezed his eyes shut, heart pounding in his throat. When they vanished and the vines on his legs crumbled away, he looked into worried grey eyes close to his own face.

"You okay?"

Kaitou blinked at how close the other guy was in his face, before placing his gun away and taking a step back.

"Not that I can blame you for wanting a good look," said Kaitou, sassy grin on his face. "But I think it's high time we get you out of here."

"I take it, you know where the exit is? All I've seen is plants and vines."

Ryuji pointed a thumb in the general direction behind them. "We just came from there."

"Then I suppose you guys can lead the way," replied Souji, still way too calm about being in a Shadow infested hellhole. "I guess I'll finally know what it's like being rescued this time..."

"Okay, you gotta tell us what your deal is when we get out of here!" said Ann, not quite taking to Souji's attitude.

And just as Souji was about to reply back--

'You can't leave!'

That voice sounded like Souji, but it came from everywhere at once. The Thieves and Souji snapped into wary stances, looking for the source of the voice.

"Seta...was that you practicing ventriloquism?" asked Yusuke.

Before Souji could answer to that, vines and plantlife rose from the ground and blocked the door. Overgrown by thousands of vines, the door definitely couldn't be opened anymore. Even another Agi spell didn't do anything, the plants simply regrew.

"So we can't leave now, huh," Ryuji sighed. "Guess we have to go on, then?"

Morgana scratched behind her ear with one of her hindlegs. "It's never easy dealing with Shadows. You're still surprised?"

"Nah... But it could've been easy for like, one time, right?"

Souji's face was a contemplating frown. "We should move on. I've passed some stairs two rooms up ahead."

Kaitou cocked an eyebrow. "Since when are you calling the shots?"

Souji blinked at Kaitou for a second, before shaking his head and laughing to himself.

"Sorry, force of habit," said Souji. "As you can probably tell, this isn't my first rodeo. Although, I'm not sure if I'm in the TV World or not..."

And the Thieves looked at him like he was certifiably insane. Souji waved off the obvious question on their lips.

"I'll tell you after we get out of here," he said, before turning to Kaitou. "I take it you're the leader of this cosplay group?"

"Cosplay Group?!" exclaimed Morgana indignantly.

"Well yeah, just look at you all! Although, I get the appeal of hunting Shadows in costume...reminds me of the time me and the others dressed as the Feather Rangers..."

There was a stunned silence. Not only did this guy say the weirdest stuff, he didn't even bat an eye at a talking cat walking on two legs.

"Who ARE you?..." Yusuke asked.

"I told you my name," Souji said with a shrug. "Although I don't know any of yours, Foxy."

"F-Foxy?!"

"Yeah. Foxy, Catwoman, Kitty, George and Birdo," said Souji as he pointed to them in turn. "That's what I'm gonna call ya until I know..."

Ann did a spit take (sadly without a cup) at the name-calling, laughing loudly, while Yusuke tried to regain his composure.

"We are the Phantom Thieves," he said with pride.

Souji hummed. "Really? Hmm, I'm sure I've heard that name before..."

Their name wasn't just popular in the police departments, no, they were already regularly on the news after heists, with blurry shots and almost no info, but they were famous nontheless. There were lots of discussions on the net, too. Kaitou could see it in Souji's smile that he knew about all that already, but kept it for himself.

"Aren't you the circle who draws hentai manga? I think it was on one volume Yosuke lent me..."

Yusuke spluttered, and Kaitou chuckled (while Ann roared with laughter some more. Her sense of humor was weird). Yusuke apparently didn't notice that he was being teased.

"In all seriousness, it does explain why no-one's ever caught you guys," Souji said, who sounded vaguely impressed.

"The police couldn't catch us if they they tried, even without the help!" Kaitou said confidently. 

"So I take it you guys can defend yourselves?"

It was a really obvious question, considering the fact that the Thieves had made their way this far. But it was Yusuke who answered anyway, having recovered from his flustered flailing.

"Yes. With our Personas, of course."

"Then, I'll hang back and let you guys handle things." Souji looked back at Kaitou. "What now, Mr Phantom?"

It was odd that someone who had such strong yet different Personas than him, wanted to hang back, but Kaitou didn't comment on it. "We just go on, maybe something will come up," he said, readying his gun. "Everyone, be on your guard at all times."

Two rooms up ahead, as Souji said, were some stairs they took.

"What the..." Ryuji gasped at the floor that didn't have any expected plantlife, but... "That's a lotta cord..."

"There's also cables in between," Ann said.

Kaitou frowned. His instincts screamed at him that they're going to be attacked by them for sure.

'Y'know...I've gotten good at saying goodbye...' 

A voice rang out from all around them, and they turned their attention away from the cords and cables to the ceiling. Kaitou noticed how Souji's hand gripped the sword it was holding tighter.

'I mean, I had to. Moving around like a ping pong ball, not getting the chance to actually settle down! Even when I stay long enough to actually make true friends, off I go again!"

The voice seemed to get progressively more angry, and Kaitou had the stray thought that they shouldn't be listening to this. It was similar to how the Thieves gave in to their Inner Selves, before gaining their Personas. Speaking their darkest, innermost thoughts...only Souji didn't seem to get that pleasure, apparently...

'Would it be too much to ask...to actually stay in place for more than a year?'

That was all the voice said, before it faded away. The Thieves turned to look at Souji, whose expression was carefully blank.

"Dude...that was you, right?" asked Ryuji.

Souji avoided every gaze on him and went silent.

Surprisingly, Ann was the understanding one and urged the others to go on. "We don't have enough info yet. Let's proceed."

As they ran down the hallway, the ropes and cables tried to grasp them as Kaitou had thought. They dodged and attack their way forward cautiously, when--

'A year isn't enough... It's not enough to settle down, but enough to make it hurt when you have to go. I guess life is unfair that way.'

Irritated, Kaitou almost ran past the next flight of stairs. After checking up on the health of his fellow team members, they went up another floor.

Cold wind greeted them, the hallway dim. The air was humid.

'After I left Inaba, it didn't feel like anything changed much. My friends called me, we chatted like we used to before. But after a while...'

Souji shivered next to Kaitou. "...it changed," he whispered.

' The calls and text became less and less. I get that they have their own lives, but my heart knew that they left me, one by one. They went on, meeting new people, forgetting about old ones. Outta sight, outta mind...but I don't want either of these things...'

There was the rattle of metal against stone, startling the members of the group. They look alarmed as chains suddenly, and violently, wrapped themselves Yusuke, binding his legs so he crashed face-first into the floor with a pained scream.

'I don't want to leave anywhere, any more...'

He tried to scrabble at the metal chains, desperate to free himself, but Yusuke was stuck fast. Ryuji and Morgan tried to jump to his rescue, trying in vain to hack at the chains. But they didn't yield to a lead pipe, or even slingshot bullets. Soon, they too were caught up int the chains, to preoccupied with trying to free Yusuke to notice the chains coming for them.

'I just want to stay! Is that too much to ask?!'

Being the lucky ones, having dodged their own chains, Kaitou, Ann and Souji each tried to grab onto a trapped Thief and pull them away. But whomever was pulling back was much stronger.

So, despite their best efforts, Yusuke, Morgana and Ryuji were unceremoniously yanked from their grip, and taken away towards the ceiling, and out of sight.

"Oh no," Ann gasped, gripping her weapon tight. "We have to go looking for them!"

A shiver ran down Kaitou's spine. What should they do - go after the strange voice or trying to help his friends? Fortunately, Souji took the decision off him.

"Your friends won't be harmed."

Ann blinked. "How do you know that?"

"Because... I wouldn't hurt them on purpose," he said lowly, taking a deep breath.

Kaitou wetted his lips. "There's another version of you running around here somewhere, isn't it?"

"Something like that, yes."

The tension in Ann's shoulders eased a bit. "All right, so we need to pursue-- EEK!"

Without a sound, chains had approached and encircled her, only to strike hard and fast, yanking her up and out of sight like the others.

"Ann!" Kaitou cried, but there was no answer.

There was the sound of more chains rattling, and Souji did the first thing that instinctively came to him; He grabbed the Thief's wrist, and pulled him into a run, just as more chains were about to close in on him.

And they ran, and ran, and ran for what seemed like forever. As soon as the shock wore off for Kaitou, he freed his wrist from Souji's grip, and ran so he was slightly ahead of him, instead of being dragged along.

And the chains were even more relentless, like homing missiles. There was wasn't a moment where they didn't have to duck and weave away from them.

"Look, a door!" yelled Souji, pointing ahead of him, after dodging another chain.

Kaitou looked ahead, and indeed, there was a door ahead, and the sight of it was a blessed relief. Putting more energy their run, Kaitou and Souji sprinted towards the door. And it seemed like whomever controlled the chains sensed that they had the chance to escape, for more of them appeared to hinder their efforts.

But they were simply too late. Souji and Kaitou ran into the other room, so fast that, when the stone door slammed closed behind them, they stumbled to the ground.

All Souji and Kaitou could hear was the scrape of metal against stone, before silence. They waited with bated breath for anything else...but there was just quiet. When nothing happen, they both allowed themselves to relax, lying on their backs, breathing harshly.

"Wow," Souji gasped out. "I'm...really rusty..."

"Don't worry," Kaitou panted, "your endurance is fine in my book..."

"Hah, thanks..." Souji sat up, looking around. The room was dimly lit - there were two torches flanking the door they just passed, and the rest of the room was bathed in shadow. There were no chains to be seen. Souji sighed. "We should go on."

Kaitou saw something flicker across Souji's face, but couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe he was just anxious, since he had to face his own Shadow externally, instead of internally, like he and his friends did. He tried to be reassuring. "Yeah. We're going to kick whoever wants to kill us, and then rescue my friends," he smiled.

Souji smiled back. "Sounds like a plan."

They got up to their feet, each taking a torch and continued moving forward. Eerie silence surrounded them laced with darkness that felt like smoke. Kaitou didn't like it one bit. He couldn't know what was waiting for them, but the sudden lack of aggressive chains was bugging him.

"...Why are there no chains up here?" he asked quietly, more to himself than to Souji.

"Oh, there are."

Before Kaitou could register that it wasn't Souji speaking, someone emerged from the shadows, snapping his fingers. Cold chains rattled from the ceiling, curling around Kaitou's torso like sentinent snakes, sliding around his arms, raising them above his head. Pain flared through his body - Kaitou's feet were barely touching the ground, held up by the chains around his arms.

The thief gasped as the pain ebbed away. "What are you--"

"Shh. I'm not talking to you," the Shadow said, yellow eyes lingering on Kaitou. "Although..."

His bright gaze roamed over his body, and Kaitou squirmed in the chain's grasp. "Maybe I'll come to you later."

"Let him go!" demanded Souji, distracting the Shadow from his keen appraisal of the bound Thief. "There is no reason to involve him, or his friends."

The Shadow slowly turned around to face his counterpart, grin stretched too thin over his face, and eyes gleaming. He walked toward Souji, hand trailing along the wall as he did so.

"And why should I not? They stepped into our domain...our home."

"This isn't my home," Souji protested, voice eerily calm. "It's outside this place--"

"Hah! Do I actually stay long enough to call anywhere home?"

"That's not the issue here." said Souji, choosing to not get into a debate with his Shadow and instead level his katana on the creature. "Let them go...I won't ask again..."

Souji's Shadow just stared at him, before a laugh rumbled from the creature's chest, and he had to wrap his arms around his sides to try and contain his amusement.

"Oh dear, are you serious?" said the Shadow between bouts of laughter. "This is our home now...one we don't ever have to leave..."

Souji blinked in surprise.

"What?..."

The Shadow shook his head. "Since when are you slow on the uptake, Me? Come on. Lay down your sword and make yourself comfortable."

Of course Souji didn't lower his sword. His grip on the hilt tightened.

"Or do you want to be restrained, too? Like him?" Shadow Souji walked over to Kaitou who glared at him. "Hmm~ Maybe you like to be restrained, Me... Because I feel excitement in my veins from just looking at him." He looked over his shoulder to Souji with a wide grin. "And I'm you, right? This must be exciting for you, too."

Confused, Souji didn't know what to say for a long moment. Why did he change topics..?

But the Shadow's attention was no longer on his counterpart. Slowly he crept up to Kaitou, who kept one eye on the creature as he struggled in his bonds. The Shadow brought up a hand to grab the thief's chin.

"Tell me...wouldn't you like to stay with me?"

Both Kaitou and Souji froze simultaneously, thrown for a loop by the Shadow's actions. He slowly, deliberately, circled around to behind Kaitou, trailing his hand around the thief's neck as he did so.

"I've built myself a nice home here...a good place to take root, so to speak..."

Once he was behind Kaitou, Souji's Shadow placed himself flush against his back, the fingers trailing a line along the column of the thief's throat, while the other when down along the buttons of his waistcoat. His mouth was next to Kaitou's ear, and every word the creature spoke ghosted breath across his ear.

"Somewhere I can stay as long as I want, and leave only when I want to..."

Kaitou tried not to squirm into the Shadow's grasp, and tried to edge his head away from him. The stray thought saying that he would enjoy this more if he wasn't in chains rushed through his head, before he shook it away. Souji just looked on in horror at his Shadow's actions.

"Doesn't that sound fun?~"

Kaitou gave Souji a look that could've meant 'Dude, get up and rescue me!' or 'Dude, you really have some repressed stuff going on...' - maybe it was both, Souji wasn't sure. All he could do was stare at his Shadow in horror. "N-no, stop it..."

A deja-vu welled up; all the people he's rescued have been in the same position as him. He didn't understand why they were paralyzed at that time, but now...

"Stop it!"

The Shadow chuckled. "Don't try to deny what you really want. It's not healthy. Also, less fun." He ran his hands down even further, resting them on Kaitou's hips.

His shoulders hurt like hell, but the touch on his hips was more prominent in his mind. Kaitou couldn't say if his heart pounded out of fear or anticip-- no, definitely fear, because this wasn't going to get to him!

"Let me go," he growled at the Shadow.

While the creature kept it's grip on Kaitou, his gaze was now levelled om Souji, expression no longer set in a twisted mockery of seduction. It was cold, and vaguely accusing.

"I don't want to let go..."

"Stop it..." whispered Souji, shaking his head.

"I'm sick of leaving others. But I also don't want anyone to leave me!"

And the Shadow removed once hand, and clicked it's fingers. The room suddenly got brighter, causing Souji and Kaitou to close their eyes against the sudden glare, being used the dimness of the room.

And when they opened their eyes again, it was to discovery that the room was a lot bigger than they thought...and the great big tree in the middle of it.

The tree itself was unique...its' trunk and closest branches were made up of wood, but further up the tree, the wooden branches seemed to be fused with branches that looked like ropes, cables, and even chains. They all writhed menacingly and, to both Kaitou and Souji's horror, the rest of the Thieves were bounds in the 'branches', trapped in what looked like cucoons.

'I'll make sure...", said the Shadow. "That no one will ever have to up-root themselves!"

Kaitou was too busy being impressed by the tree than to comment on the pun the Shadow just made.

"Oh no..."

The Shadow laughed, opening his arms wide. "It's okay, everyone! You just have to stay. Here. Forever!"

Kaitou snapped out of his reverie. "Oh, shut it! You're just being a whiny, selfish child with some repressed sexuality issues!" he spat mockingly. "You want someone to stay? Definitely not with THAT clingy attitude."

The Shadow's head whipped around, his icy glare didn't faze Kaitou. "All I want is a place to stay - where the people who matter the most to me won't leave. But you can't understand that."

"I can't?" Kaitou shifted to ease the pain in his shoulders. "Listen up, dude, I came here a few months ago to live without my parents - I knew no one and was overwhelmed by how fast this city moved and lived. I can't say that I have settled down yet... But it doesn't matter to me, because I'm free. Settlement? Why settle for one place when you're free to go wherever you want?"

"What a touching story. You want me to relate to you?"

Kaitou shook his head. "I want you to know that you're free to make your own choices. You can decide whether to stay at one place or not."

A shrill laughter pierced through his ears. "'Decide'? You have got to be kidding me. I couldn't decide shit, because my parents moved me around the way they wanted to, how it was fitting for them. Even YOU are not free! You aren't legal yet, so you don't have any choice in the matter."

Souji's Shadow turned his gaze to the tree that held the other Thieves, and the fact that the smile on his face was beatific didn't gel with the manic gleam in his eyes.

"Well, I'm exercising MY choice. I want to stay here, and what you all to stay here with me."

The Shadow turned sharply to Souji, whose hands were shaking around his katana. His grin wasn't kind...

"I'm pretty sure he knows how I know all of this...Isn't that right...Me?"

The sharp sound of Souji's katana as it hit the ground rung through out room. Souji's hands went up to his ears, as he shook it from head from side to side, trying to block out the Shadow's words...and in his hysteria, he let those words slip from his mouth, the ones he hadn't meant to say.

"You're not me...YOU'RE NOT ME!!!"

There was silence, and for a second, Kaitou had thought that the Shadow was struck dumb by Souji's words of denial. But, judging by the horrified look on Souji's face, they weren't the right words to say. And the Shadow's maniacal laughter confirmed that!

"You idiot! You knew better! You knew better, and YOU DID IT ANYWAY!"

There was a swirl of darkness and power, all coalescing at the Shadow's feet, and Kaitou wished now, more than ever, these damn chains were off his wrists. 

"But now...I'm free!"

And the darkness grew in volume, as it covered the Shadow, fusing it into the tree. And as the tree grew in size to accommodate the shift in power, Souji's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed to the ground.

As the tree shifted, the chains loosened around Kaitou's wrists. He wasted no time in shimmying out of them, and landing on the ground with a roll. As he got up, and tried to get feeling back into his arms, he looked on as the tree changed its' shape.

What looked like a carving of Souji, half finished into the tree, emerge from the enlarged trunk as one the the chain branches scooped up Souji's prone form to join with the others, getting his own cucoon. Kaitou had to dodge, lest he suffer the same fate.

"I AM A SHADOW; THE TRUE SELF! LET ME STAY RIGHT HERE, WITH ALL OF YOU!"

Rolling his shoulders, Kaitou tried to assess the situation. The tree was gargantuan, with countless branches. Some of them held the cocoons that most likely held his friends and Souji hostage.

Kaitou closed his eyes for a second and tried to calm his mind. He had several Personas with him with different skillsets, so he should be ready to face this foe.

A faint rush of wind was his only warning before Kaitou jumped background instinctively, and out of the road of a branch that cracked the ground where he stood before. 

Chains appear automatically in his hand, and Kaitou gripped it tightly, the name of a Persona coming to his mind.

"Hua Po!" cried Kaitou, as he tugged on the chain, mask fading away from his face and coalescing into a winged creature in a cheongsam. 

The small Persona flitted in a circle, and flames engulfed the Shadow tree. The Shadow cried out in pain, and Kaitou grinned in satisfaction that he had found a weakness.

But Shadow Souji began to laugh amidst his pain, and Kaitou momentarily stopped as he was about to command Hua Po to cast another Agilao.

"DON'T THINK YOU CAN TRY THAT AGAIN!!!"

The Shadow seemed to be gathering power, and for a moment, glowed red. Kaitou got Hua Po to cast Agilao again, but the flames seemed to bounce of the bark of the tree now.

"Crap!"

And before Kaitou could do a inner inventory of what Personae he had, Shadow Souji shot out again with with his branches, causing Kaitou to crash to the ground near the roots of the tree. And with Kaitou dizzy and vulnerable against the ground, the Shadow went in for another hit, throwing the Thief hard against the trunk of the tree. 

In the corner of Kaitou's eye, the cucoons glowed white for a long second, and in that time, the burn marks on the surface of the tree receded away.

'Shit', Kaitou thought to himself in a panic. 'He heals...using his victims!'

Blinking away the fuzziness in his eyes, Kaitou quickly looked up into the branches, and saw that one of the was within climbing distance. He could get up there, and cut it down...only if he could distract the tree...

And an idea came to his mind, before he contemplate the ridiculousness of the phrase, 'distract the tree'.

"High Pixie!"

The High Pixie appeared before the Thief, ready for orders. Kaitou pointed up, toward the face of the Shadow. 

"Distract him, in anyway possible!"

Giving a nod in affirmation, High Pixie flew up into the Shadow's face, kicking it in the nose.

The Shadow blinked before snarling, and whipping out a branch to try and swat the flying creature out of the air. High Pixie successfully dodged, taunting the Shadow Souji with a graceful twirl.

And while Kaitou would've loved to see the image of High Pixie annoying the tree, he wasted no time, in climbing up the lower branches to reach the closest cucoon. He quickly brought out his knife to slash at the branch holding it.

And it fell to the ground, breaking open to reveal the unconscious form of Yusuke. Kaitou jumped down, tucking into a roll, before rushing up the Yusuke's prone form.

A quick glance over his shoulder assured him that High Pixie was still doing a great job. He probably had a few minutes.

"Yusuke, hey..." Kaitou patted the boy's cheek repeatedly. "C'mon, wake up."

But Yusuke lay motionless, breathing shallow. Kaitou summoned Pixie and cast every healing spell he could - Diarama, Energy Shower, Recarm - until Yusuke cracked open an eye.

He sat up, holding his head, and relief washed over Kaitou. He, personally, felt a bit worn out after using so many spells, but now he knew what he had to do.

"Get up, Yusuke, no time to waste," he said, voice firm. "We've got to rescue our friends."

Yusuke seemed to come back to himself, and blinked at the gargantuan Shadow before him, before turning questioning eyes to Kaitou.

"Where's--"

"Up there," said Kaitou urgently, as he pointed toward Souji's Shadow. "This Shadow seems to be using the others it has trapped to heal itself."

"And I take it I was in one of those cucoons?"

Kaitou nodded, glad Yusuke was quick on the uptake.

"If we rescue the others, we take away it's ability to heal."

"Then we best do it quick...before your High Pixie is flung out of the sky."

Kaitou turned back to the Shadow still trying to get at the High Pixie flitting in his face, almost laughing at how increasingly childish the taunting of the normally regal creature was getting...it seemed like she was having fun regardless.

"Then we'll both go for one."

Yusuke nodded to him, and at almost the same time, they both ran up to the tree, each one on an opposite side, before scaling the branches. They each managed to get to a cuccoon, and they wasted no time in cutting them down and sending them crashing to the ground.

They both smashed open, revealing the unconscious forms of Ann and Ryuji. With three successive cucoons destroyed, the bark of the tree seemed to go from a healthy looking brown colour, to slightly grey and cracked, giving a sickly appearance.

And Shadow Souji could no longer seem to ignore his sources of energy just being cut off. He whipped his head around, noticing the gaps in its branches, and the sickly hue to his bark. He turned his stare towards the Thieves on the ground, who had just jumped from the branches to heal the other, recently freed Thieves.

"YOU! I'LL GET YOU ALL BACK!"

The branches writhed in his rage, and even High Pixie couldn't keep dodging them all. One branch managed to get a lucky hit in, and she faded into sparkles as soon as she was struck.

"High Pixie! Shit!!"

With the distraction away from his face, Shadow Souji turned all his rage to the Thieves on the ground. Between the both of them, Yusuke and Kaitou had managed to bring both Ryuji and Ann back to consciousness. 

"NO ONE ESCAPES ME!!! I'LL MAKE SURE YOU DON'T GET FREE THIS TIME!"

"Okay, these are some deeply-rooted issues!" exclaimed Ryuji, narrowly dodging a chain-branch aimed in his direction. No one even had the presence of mind to groan at the pun.

"Carmen!" Ann summoned her Persona, casting Sukukaja on herself, before easily dodging a projectile aimed for her. "Okay, the tree needs to chill!" 

And Kaitou couldn't agree more with her. He looked up at the remaining cucoons still in the branches of the tree, and the sickly hues of the Shadow. The Shadow also seemed to be in a incoherent rage, all effort being focused on getting them back. They couldn't dodge forever...They needed to end this now. 

"Guys, listen," Kaitou shouted out as he dodged another hit. "He grows weaker with each cucoon cut off!"

"So if we cut off the rest, we can finish him off?" asked Ryuji.

"That seems like the case," replied Yusuke, healing Ann when a chain-branch got a hit in. "I can take one..."

"And I'll take the other," Ann chimed in eagerly.

"Then Ryuji and I will cover you," said Kaitou, and saw that Ryuji nodded in agreement, smile wide and sharp.

Shadow Souji was gearing up with for another volley of attacks, and Ann and Yusuke, got into a ready stance. The Shadow lashed out with two branches...

Only to be cut away by Arsene and Captain Kidd before they could even hit.

"Go! Now!"

Ann and Yusuke wasted no more time, sprinting toward the tree, and climbing up onto the lower branches. But even in his rage, the Shadow seemed catch on to their plan, and tried to focus his attention on the Thieves in his branches.

"Nice try, pal!"

Ryuji got in with Captain Kidd, who directed his ship in the direction of the trunk, ramming into the branches aimed for Yusuke, who managed to make it further up his side of the tree.

Kaitou did the same for Ann, with Arsene blocking a bunch of cable-branches with his claws. The branches writhed menacingly again, and when Ann almost her footing, she held on for dear life.

"A little help, please!" she yelled, legs kicking in the air.

But Arsene took a leaf from High Pixie's book, and kicked Shadow Souji right in the nose. So, with a roar, all that rage was directed at Kaitou and Arsene now, but it gave Ann enough time to right herself on the branch, and finally make it up to the cucoon.

Yusuke, meanwhile, had managed to himself tangled in the chain-branches, and they surrounded him, wrapping themselves around him in a way that was meant to trap him in another cuccoon.

"Yusuke!"

The sound of cannon fire was heard, and Yusuke could smell gunpowder as the chain-branches withered around him, allowing him to wiggle himself free. He cast a grateful look toward Ryuji and Captain Kidd on the ground.

"Thank you," said Yusuke, before propelling himself up further to finally reach the target cuccoon.

"Ready, Yusuke?" yelled Ann from across the branches, foot already on the stalk that connected the cuccoon to the branch. Yusuke simply nodded, bringing out a carving knife from within his outfit. 

"NOW!"

And at the same time Yusuke swiped out with the carving knife, Ann kicked at the cuccoon, her powerful legs easily kicking the cuccoon off the branch. 

Each cuccoon fell to the ground and smashed open, revealing Morgana and Souji. Kaitou and Ryuji rushed up to them as Ann and Yusuke made their way back down the tree. Yusuke managed to get Morgana awake with a Recarm spell, who woke up, blinking wearily.

"What'd I miss?" mumbled Morgana, before noticing the Shadow tree, who looked like a dried up husk now that all the cuccoons had been cut away. "Aw, you guys have all the fun..."

Kaitou choose to ignore Morgana for the time being, noticing that Souji wasn't waking up, no matter how many healing spells were cast on him.

"Looks like he won't wake up until that thing is dealt with," said Kaitou, turning his attention onto the tree, still dried out, with cracks in the bark riddling the trunk.

"Looks like he won't take much more punishment," said Ryuji, observing the obvious.

Kaitou laughed to himself, bringing out his pistol, and aiming it at the downed tree.

"Random Fire!"

And all the Phantom Thieves let loose with their guns into the tree, emptying their clips into the Shadow. And once the magazines were empty, and the sound of gunfire receded, it gave the Thieves an opportunity for one last move.

"Everyone ready?" Kaitou asked the group with grin...his usual Phantom one.

"You bet~" Ann said eagerly.

"Everyone, All Out Attack!"

And at once, everyone grabbed their weapons, and let loose. This...was Kaitou's favourite part of any battle, everyone unleashing hell onto their helpless target, kicking up dust and smoke. And when the smoke cleared, very little survived under their combined might.

And Shadow Souji was no exception; when they finished their assault, and the dust cloud cleared, the Shadow screamed in pain, tree receding away in a shower of light, leaving the Shadow in his normal appearance.

The Shadow seemed different, this time. He wasn't screaming, he wasn't even glaring. All he did was staring at them blankly, like he was waiting for something.

A groan alerted the thieves, who are still ready to fight some more, that Souji woke up. He looked beat as he climbed to his feet.

His gaze falls upon the Shadow who is staring back, not blinking once. There's tension in the air, and no thief wants to break it. This has to be resolved between the two of them.

"I... get it now," Souji sighed. "I do."

He slowly walks over to his other self, a self-deprecating smile on his lips. "I always thought it couldn't be that hard to accept yourself..."

He opened his arms and hugged the Shadow without hesitation. It was like welcoming back an old friend.

"I'm you... and you're me. I get it know."

A warm smile cracked the Shadow's face open and he leaned into the hug.

There was a blue glow, and the other Souji changed back into a Persona, who hovered above Souji. It was dressed in a white and gold suit, with the same combat knife stilettos heels that Arsene seemed to have. It held a double ended spear in one hand, and it wore a mask.

The Persona nodded in Souji's direction, and it burst into another blue glow, settling over Souji and fading into his unconscious. When the glow died down, Souji wasn't wearing the same clothes.

It was a pure white suit, neatly tailored, with shiny black shoes, a off-white dress shirt and a silver tie contrasting nicely against the single colour suit. The mask he wore on his face was similar to the mask his Persona wore, only with space for his eyes to look out of.

Souji spent a second gawking in surprise at his new outfit, even noticing the grey gloves on his hands. But, as the Thieves went up to talk to Souji about what happened, he collapsed to his knees.

"Hey, you okay," asked Kaitou, going up and kneeling beside Souji, checking for any injuries. Souji waved off his concern with a tired smile.

"I'm fine...this is usually what happens, after all..."

Kaitou was about to say something, when Ryuji beat him to the punch.

"Dude, how come you didn't have to rip off half your face to get your outfit?"

Morgana's tail twitched. "He's different, I can sense it."

Kaitou rolled his eyes. "He's a Wildcard-User like me, of course he's different."

"Get off your high horse, Leader," Ann eye-rolled.

Souji watched the childish fight that escalated into sticking out tongues at each other and making farting noises with a tired smile. They weren't like his friends in Inaba, but he could see that they all had a strong bond. (It hurt a little, watching them.)

"Hey."

Souji turned to Yusuke, who approached him.

"You look really worn out. Let's get you out of here."

After a last round of healing everyone made their way back - Kaitou and Ryuji took turns on supporting Souji.

"You don't have a Goho-M?" Souji asked as they descended some stairs.

"What's a Go Home?" Ann asked.

"Y'know, a stone that would teleport you back to the entrance of the dungeon...It basically Traesto in solid form."

"I don't think we have anything like that," said Yusuke.

"Does anyone know how to cast Traesto?"

The ensuing silence answered his question, and Souji sighed. At least the Dungeon was relatively short, and it didn't take long before they left the Ruins. And as soon as they took their last steps away from the building, the was a loud crash, and the sound of crumbling.

They all turned and watched as the building faded away from existence, leaving only the park.

"Welp," began Ryuji as he was the first to break the silence. "I think that was the first time we didn't have to book it out of a collapsing building.

"True that," replied Kaitou before adjusting his hold on Souji and dismissing his Phantom regalia. The other Thieves and Souji followed suit, leaving in their normal school uniforms.

"Do you live near here, Souji?" asked Kaitou.

"I have to take the train for a few stops, so..."

It was obvious that Souji didn't want to tell him right away, and Kaitou was fine with that. "Do you want me to accompany you...?" It came out more awkward than he intended.

Souji couldn't hold back a snort. "You don't have to, if you... uh, if you don't want to..?"

Awkward silence fell over them, and Ann cleared her throat. "We're... we'll be off then. Take care, Souji."

"It was nice to meet all of you..." said Souji with a small smile.

Ryuji and Ann went off in one direction, seeing they pretty much lived near each other, and Yusuke and Morgana went off in another direction, after saying that she would be back at Kaitou's place later, if only to keep the artist company. 

That left Souji and Kaitou alone in the park. Adjusting his grip again, The Thief helped Souji make his way to the nearest train station. And of all lucky coincidences, they managed to buy tickets, and board the train several minutes before it left the station.

They were alone on the train, and the only sound was the machine going along the rails in a constant pattern. Kaitou sighed and closed his eyes, feeling the effects of the night's events catching up with him. He didn't think he would need much rocking tonight.

Kaitou was startled out of his thoughts, by a sudden weight on his shoulder, and he opened his eyes to see that Souji was using his shoulder as a pillow. Sensing the Thief staring at him, Souji cracked open one eye tiredly to regard him.

"Sorry," Souji sleepily mumbled. Kaitou had to blink at the pleasant image it created. He was not above admitting that Souji was kinda cute like this.

"It's fine," Kaitou said with a light chuckle, leaning back into his seat. "...Tell me...you seem pretty passé about all this Shadow and Persona business. Why's that?"

If Souji pondered the question or if he had just nodded off again, Kaitou couldn't tell. But then, Souji spoke.

"Me and my team dealt with this whole Shadow-business back in 2011. There was a murder case going on and..." His voice trailed off. "Well, there was a lot more after that - the Shadow Operatives. Robot Girls, and a lot of dancing."

Kaitou frowned. "Now you're pulling my leg."

"I wish I were... I've been a Persona User and Wildcard ever since, but my journey is already over. I found the truth I was looking for..."

"The truth, huh..." It was different than in his case. Kaitou wasn't after the truth, but freedom. The words of Souji's Shadow were still present in his mind - he wasn't free at all. But what did 'freedom' even mean? Making decisions? Being independent?

Souji closed his eyes again. "I assume, since you're a Wildcard as well, that you're on a journey, too?"

It wasn't a question about the matter of his journey, and Kaitou was glad for it. "Yeah."

"Then, I wish you the best of luck," Souji smiled. "You have great friends by your side. They'll give you strength."

"And what about your friends?" asked Kaitou. "You said you had a team..."

Souji didn't answer for a long while, and Kaitou swore at one point that he fell asleep.

"...They were the greatest friends I could ever ask for, and the first true ones I ever made..."

"And that changed, did it?"

"It felt like it did. Things changed, and we gradually drifted apart..."

"Hmmm..."

There was a stretch of contemplative silence, before Kaitou spoke up again.

"Well, things tend to happen that way...they're following their own paths."

"I know," said Souji quietly. "But I still miss them..."

The train pulled up to a station, and Souji indicated that this was his stop. After helping Souji of the chair, and making their way out of the station, Souji indicated down the street. They slowly walked down the path, the only noises being their footsteps.

"Y'know Souji...If you said that you went through all that crap with your friends, maybe you're not as distant from them as you think."

Souji didn't say anything, but Kaitou got the feeling he was listening, so he continued.

"Maybe I don't know any better, but even if me and my friends grew apart, I wouldn't be adverse to a phone call, even after a long time. They're still thinking of me..."

There was companionable silence for a long moment. There weren't many people on the streets anymore, but a handful of cars.

"That's sound like a great idea. Thanks... uh... Phantom?"

In that moment, Kaitou realized he never gave Souji his name. Now that Souji was more or less one of them... "Call me Kaitou, that's how everyone calls me."

Souji nodded and looked the other boy in the eye. "Thanks, Kaitou."

He got thanked a lot over the past few weeks - rescuing friends, helping people out - but his heart never skipped a beat like that. Maybe it was because of exhaustion. It had to be.

Souji untangled himself from the other. "This is it." They ended up in front of an dark apartment complex. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"No problem at all," Kaitou grinned. "Shall I take you to your flat?"

Souji shot him a deadpan look. "No, thank you. You're a pilferer."

Kaitou knew he meant it in jest and made a face. "You distrust me like that? After all I did for you? And besides, I only steals hearts." A smug expression crossed his features. "Afraid that I might steal yours?"

"Smooth," said Souji with a chuckle. "And what would you ever do with my heart if you ever got your hands on it?"

"Only good things, Thief's honour!"

And Souji chuckled again at the stealth pun, before reaching into his pocket, and bringing out his phone. Taking Souji's lead, Kaitou brought out his own phone, and they exchanged numbers.

"Feel free to call sometime when I don't feel like collapsing," quipped Souji, pocketing his phone again.

"Of course. And don't forget what I said earlier."

Souji just smiled, before he turn around to go into the apartment complex. He opened the door, but before he entered the building, he angled his head and body around to regard the Thief.

"Goodnight, Kaitou..."

"Goodnight, Souji..."

And Souji disappeared into the complex, door closing behind. And Kaitou lingered for a few seconds, looking at the building, before pocketing his phone with a grin, and making his way back home.

**Author's Note:**

> It was equal effort between the both of us, but I must credit MatrixCube for some of the funnier lines, including the one about the Phantom Thieves Hentai Doujinshi Ring! (My arm and leg for someone to make that a reality! XD)
> 
> And my glob, the fight scene took me agggges to write! DX MatrixCube let me go ahead with it, and assured me I did a good job. I sincerely hope so as well!
> 
> Also, the whole Garden Ruins thing was a long standing Shadow!Souji headcanon of mine. I always imagined that Souji harboured feelings of resentment for the fact that he was never allowed to truly settle down anywhere, due to his parents. Thus, the vines/cords/cables/chains, plus the Shadow Boss being a tree. A desire to put down lasting roots, and keep others rooted to him...
> 
> Also, there's a bit of speculation here about how gaining a Persona would differ from Persona 5. Not too much detail, but we did figure that it would be internal, like a Battle in the Mind, and a lot more painful and violent. One would have to wrestle their Shadow into submission, so to speak.... 
> 
> That's also the reason Souji did need to rip half his face off when he got his costume. He wasn't in the TV world, so he got his outfit, but since he peacefully accepted his Shadow, his awakening was painless...
> 
> Well, me and MatrixCube had fun writing this...and I hope you guys enjoyed reading this! :D
> 
> a/n from Cube: Souji you stupid toothbrush, just call your friends when you're lonely. They can't read your mind. Also, Kaitou, master of pixie-type Personas. Yeah.


End file.
